


Sneak a Peek

by BunniElyse



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Possible Spoilers, Reveal Fic, Sneak a peek, fluffy and simple, miraculous ladybug season 2, sometimes you have to break the rules
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-04-15 00:56:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14148411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BunniElyse/pseuds/BunniElyse
Summary: Sneak a Peek: Sometimes you have to break the rulesDuring their confrontation with Dark Owl, Ladybug orders Chat Noir to keep his eyes shut when they hand over their Miraculouses.But does he listen?*Possible Spoilers! Dark Owl and their "sticky situation" is in Season 2 Episode 7! Read at your own risk!*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I’m going to preface this little fic by saying, I haven’t written fanfiction in over 15 years! To give you some idea of my last fic, it was while I was desperately waiting for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to come out (and it was my coping mechanism with Sirius’ death).
> 
> Anyway, I’ve been really inspired by other ML fics lately, that I just had to write a little one.
> 
> Please leave a review! I love hearing from readers and other creators, so even if you have some criticisms, I’d love to see ‘em!
> 
> -Background info-  
> This takes place during - and the few days after - the Dark Owl Akuma attack. It’s not canon, but it is my headcanon.  
> (Season 2 Episode 7)
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie

**Chapter 1**

* * *

 

“You won, Dark Owl!” Ladybug yelled.  “Close your eyes, and no peeking,” she added to Chat Noir.

* * *

He had promised not to peek, but when she closed his fist back over his ring he couldn't help himself. 

He knew he wasn’t supposed to.

He knew he shouldn’t.

Adrien heard the soft _clink-clink_ of metal on metal and his curiosity won out.  His eyelids raised almost imperceptibly, his eyelashes obscuring his view.  He snapped them shut almost immediately as a red Kwami dipped in front of him. He felt a light touch on his chin, a signal from the Ladybug Kwami to close his embarrassingly open mouth.  A few more seconds slipped by as Adrien felt the whipped cream draining from his legs.

 _‘I need to know!’_ He thought vehemently, his mind already made up to betray Ladybug’s orders to not look.

Once again, Adrien slowly slipped one eye open, careful to spy if the Kwamis would see him.  The red Kwami had turned and was floating back to its human, while he felt Plagg float softly up and down near his ear.  

 _‘There she is,’_ he thought, just making out her thin legs and small feet, now clear of the whipped cream.  The knowledge of the Kwamis’ proximity and the fear of giving himself away should he move stopped him from opening his eyes wider to take in her entire frame.  As it was, his eyelid was raised just enough to grant him a view of the floor and Ladybug’s feet. Adrien jumped and squeezed his eyes shut again as the pink shoes turned to face him.

“Well,” she quipped, her voice shaky.

 _‘Probably from nerves,’_ he thought before he smiled and slipped the ring back onto his finger. “Nice thinking, M’Lady.”

“Are you ready to transform?” She asked and he could hear the smile in her tone.

“Count of three!” He said excitedly. “One…”

“Two…”

“Three… Plagg, claws out!”

“Tikki, spots on!”

* * *

 

After a long week dealing with The Owl and an exhilarating afternoon kicking Alya’s butt at _Ultimate Mecha Strike III_ , Marinette was happy to belly flop onto her bed with a loud sigh, burying her head into her pillow.  Tikki zoomed up to her shoulder blades and began loosening Marinette’s pig tails. 

“What a week,” she said in her small voice.  “Are you okay, Marinette?”

Marinette groaned again and released a slow deep breath.  “Yeah, Tikki.” She sighed. “I’m fine. Your scalp massages always work wonders.”

Tikki giggled, “Thanks, I guess, but it still seems like there’s something you wanted to talk about.”  Her sentence ending in a slight upper inflection, indicating the hint of a question in her tone.

Marinette thought for a moment, debating if she should bring up what was really on her mind.  She knew Tikki trusted her, but the idea of disappointing the little Kwami was enough to make her hide her face under her pillow.

Tikki laughed as she slid off of Marinette shoulder and rested against the wall. “Marinette,” she chastised lightly. “What's going on? You can tell me anything.”

“You promise you won't be mad?” Marinette asked, secretly happy that her voice was muffled. As if hiding under the pillow and muffling her voice would somehow make what she was about to say less embarrassing.

Tikki giggled again and patted Marinette softly on the arm. “I can't be mad at you!”

“IbrokethepromiseandbrokemyownruleandIcouldn’thelpmyselfohTikkiI’msosorrybutIwasjustsocuriousImeanhowcouldInotbutIswearIdidn’t-”

“Whoa! Wait!” Tikki squeaked as she tried to make sense of Marinette’s fast rambling. “Slow down!  Slow down and start over. I didn't catch any of that!”

“I looked at Chat Noir when we detransformed.” Marinette said quietly, voice still muffled by the pillow. “But Tikki, I swear I didn't see anything! All I saw were his shoes; I couldn't see anything else.”

Tikki was quiet for a minute before replying pensively, “I see.” Marinette groaned before Tikki continued, “Are you sure you didn't see anything? You have no idea who it is?”

“No Tikki! I swear! Just his shoes!”

Tikki rubbed her chin as if she were channeling Master Fu, “I see. Well, I'm sorry Marinette, but you broke the rules. Which means I -”

“No!” Marinette yelled, peeking out from pillow, her eyes wide.

Before she could continue, Tikki burst into laughter. “Oh, Marinette! It's okay! I'm sorry I made you worry! You only saw his shoes, so how in the world could you know who Chat Noir is?”

Marinette wasn't listening to Tikki anymore. Her fears of losing her powers had vanished from her thoughts.  She was staring at her favorite Adrien Agreste poster that hung next to her bed; the pillow on top of her head obscuring him from the waist up. Her mind went blank, only one thought running through her head.

“Marinette?” Tikki chirped, her voice sounding far away.

 _‘Those shoes,’_ she thought. _‘I know those shoes.’_

* * *

Adrien hadn't seen his friends all weekend. His father had booked him for several photoshoots both days, only giving him enough time to finish his homework, eat, and sleep.  Not only was his isolation getting to him, but he had grown almost obsessive over his half-look at Ladybug’s true self. 

Pink. All he had seen was pink. Plagg, of course, hadn't been any help. He had tried to bribe the Cat Kwami with wheels and wheels of camembert in an attempt to learn who the mysterious girl was, but to no avail. Adrien wasn't surprised when the cheese supply went missing the next day.

Monday hadn't come fast enough and he was excited to catch up with everyone.  Alya filled him in on her role as Cardboard Girl and how Ladybug and Chat Noir had come to her house and asked her to help. Adrien smiled and _ooh-_ ed and _ah-_ ed at all the right places. Nino told him all about his bot’s awesome upgrades in _Mecha Strike_ , to which he was truly bummed to have missed.

One friend was missing though. “Alya, where's Marinette?” Adrien asked.

Alya smirked. “Oh you know her,” she said with a laugh. “That girl’s always running la-”

_RRRIIIIIIIINNNG_

She was interrupted by the school bell, signalling the beginning of class.

Adrien turned around in his seat just as Marinette rushed in, her face flushed.

“I'm here!” she cried. “Sorry!”

Adrien smiled in her direction, but one look at him and her eyes practically popped out of their sockets. She rushed past him to her seat without saying a word.

Adrien looked quizzically at Nino, who shrugged.

 _'Well,’_ he thought as he played with the ring on his finger, watching as it caught the light. ‘ _It wouldn't be Marinette if she wasn't running late.’_

He snapped out of his thoughts when their professor began the day’s lecture.  He was just bending down to gather his notebook and pen from his backpack when he heard Marinette stand up quickly and run past him and out the door.

“Marinette!” Alya called after her. “What ring?”

“Well I never!” exclaimed their professor.

Adrien was numb. The scene replaying in slow motion.  Her legs sprinting past him.

A blur of pink.

 _‘Those shoes,’_ he thought, his mouth suddenly dry. _‘I know those shoes.’_

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *End note*  
> Headcanon accepted; change my mind. (๑ÒωÓ๑)
> 
> Next up:  
> Adrien is Chat Noir?! Marinette can't handle that information! Tikki tries to calm Marinette's nerves as they talk about the possibility that the biggest crush of her life leads a double life.
> 
> Bunnie's Note: Hopefully I keep writing! This was a lot of fun!
> 
> Please, don’t forget to review! I’d love to hear what you think; the good, bad, and ugly!  
> °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie
> 
> P.S. I’m on fanfiction.net, Ao3, and Tumblr! (same username: BunniElyse)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is Chat Noir?! Marinette can't handle that information! Tikki tries to calm Marinette's nerves as they talk about the possibility that the biggest crush of her life leads a double life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak a Peek  
> Sometimes you have to break the rules
> 
> *Author’s note*  
> Look at what you guys made me do!
> 
> It was supposed to be a one shot!
> 
> I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who left me reviews and kudos and for following me and my little fic! Oh my gosh! It’s been months and I am still, to this day, getting email notifications about “so-and-so favorited Sneak a Peek” or “so-and-so left a review.”
> 
> I seriously canNOT with you guys! Thank you so much for the love and support!
> 
> And most of all, thank you for giving me the drive to keep writing!
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie

**Chapter 2**

* * *

 

Marinette was perched uncomfortably on top of one of the school toilets, her feet drawn up and her face buried in her knees.  She was thankful for the dimly lit room and the solitude of the small stall. The echoing _drip-drip_ of a leaky sink almost had a hypnotizing effect on her as she fought to slow her frenzied thoughts.  

Although Marinette had asked Tikki the night before if Adrien really was Chat Noir, the red Kwami had stubbornly refused to give away any information.  She had explained to Marinette that _The Code_ prevented her from revealing who the identities were, even if the Miraculous owners knew themselves.  

 _“It could be a trick,”_ she had explained. _“Eons ago, a copy of an Owner told their Kwami that they knew who the other users were.  That Kwami, deceived into believing it was their true Owner, unwittingly exposed the Owners of the other Miraculouses, resulting in a horrible tragedy!  We can’t let that happen again! So,_ The Code _was created.”_

But here sat Marinette now, in full panic mode, on top of a gross public toilet.

She had seen his ring.

 _The_ ring.

Chat Noir’s ring.

The disguised Black Cat Miraculous.

Subconsciously, Marinette tugged gently on her earlobe, toying with her own Miraculous.  

Tikki sat on Marinette’s shoulder, close to her ear, making whispered conversations easy without being overheard.

“Calm down, Marinette.”  She soothed quietly, patting her hand. “It’s not what you think.”

“What do you mean, it’s not what I think?” Marinette whispered back, frustration clear in her voice.  “I thought you said you couldn’t tell me if it was Adrien or not.”

Tikki sighed, trying to remain patient with her friend.  “No, I’m not,” She said quietly. “I’m just trying to help you see reason.”

Marinette didn’t have a response to that.  Reason? Sense? Logic? All of those qualities had flown out the window when she decided to break the stupid rules and peek at her partner’s stupid shoes in that stupid container.  She had tried all night to convince herself that anyone could have those shoes, they were Gabriel brand shoes after all. Those were a really popular style and brand, especially with teenagers.  She was further relieved when, while walking to school that morning, she had seen several of her classmates with the exact same shoes. But the turning point was that ring. How could he have that ring?  

“Listen, Marinette,” Tikki urged, “What exactly makes you think Adrien is Chat Noir?”

“I already told you,” Marinette whined, smushing her forehead into her knees petulantly. “First, I saw his shoes.  They were Gabriel shoes and I _know_ I’ve seen Adrien wear them before.  Plus, we is obviously modeling them in those posters.”

“Mmhmm…” Tikki said. “But practically everyone wears those exact sneakers.”

Marinette groaned again, raising her head from her knees. “I know, Tikki!  But what about his ring? You can’t deny that was Chat’s ring!”

Tikki shook her head sympathetically, “Marinette, I can’t tell you whether it was or it wasn’t.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied dejectedly. “The stupid _Code_. I know.”

The two fell into silence again.

Tikki tried soothing Marinette by playing with her hair, braiding the strands into small plaits.

Marinette closed her eyes, enjoying the tiny intermittent tugs.  She quietly _hmm_ -ed to herself in thought, strumming her fingers against her crossed arms.  To try and calm her frayed nerves, she pulled out her cell phone and began to lazily scroll through social media.  It was clear Alya hadn’t been paying attention in their class (the class that Marinette was _supposed_ to be in) as her profile picture had changed and she had added a new folder, _Moi et Mec_ , featuring photos of her and Nino.  Marinette smiled at their goofy cuteness and began leaving the obligatory “best friend likes” on all of the photos.  

“You skipped one,” Tikki said pointedly, as she peeked at the phone from behind a curtain of braids.

“Wait,” Marinette said softly. “Tikki, look at this!”

She tapped the screen and spread her fingers to zoom in on the image of Alya and Nino, his hand draped over her shoulder.

“Mmhmm,” Tikki said confused. “They look happy…”

“No,” Marinette said quickly, attempting to zoom in further. “Ugh, stupid phone won’t zoom.” She held the phone up to Tikki’s face for a closer look. “Look at his hand!”

On the ring finger of his right hand was a shiny, silver ring, identical to the disguised Black Cat Miraculous.

Marinette’s eyes widened in pointed confusion as she maintained eye contact with Tikki.

The red Kwami, however, looked nonplussed. “Yes, and?” she said simply, as she disappeared once again behind the forest of braids.

Marinette reached up to gently grab her friend, only to have her hair painfully tugged in response.

“Ouch!” she cried.

Tikki continued her ministrations on Marinette’s hair. “Sorry,” she said, only slightly concerned. “Let me finish your hair first!”

“But Tikki!” Marinette cried exasperated.  “His ring! What about the ring?”

“It’s just a knockoff,” Tikki said cheerfully.  “As a matter of fact, I bet Adrien’s is a knockoff too.”

“A knockoff?” Marinette responded incredulously, looking back at the offending photo.  

She was aware of the themed merchandise, of course.  She saw commercials for miniature Ladybug and Chat Noir action figures almost as much as she saw Adrien fragrance commercials.  She saw clothing inspired by their costumes in several store windows and had even seen some disturbing lingerie.

 _‘C’mon guys!’_ she had thought in embarrassment. _‘I’m only fourteen!’_

The longer she stared at the image of Nino and Alya, she began to remember a commercial that her friends had mentioned.  It had been really goofy, apparently, featuring a city crowded with adults all wearing Miraculous inspired jewelry and randomly transforming to fight evil.

“A knockoff…” Marinette repeated under her breath, relief blossoming in her chest.  “I think you’re right, Tikki. It must be a knockoff!”

Tikki floated out from behind Marinette’s now fully braided pigtails and rolled her eyes at her friend.  Smiling, she said, “I told you! We all know Nino is a huge Chat Noir fan, so it makes sense he would have the ring.”

Marinette nodded, following Tikki’s logic.  “Right,” she said smiling. “And he probably got one for Adrien since they’re best friends.”

“Exactly!” the Kwami nodded happily.  “It’s actually kind of cute, when you think about it.”  She added bringing a paw to her chin thoughtfully. “It’s like friendship rings.”

Marinette giggled, feeling a lot better thanks to her friend. “Phew!” She sighed loudly, the sound echoing slightly in the empty bathroom.  “Thanks, Tikki! I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Tikki and her laughed together for a minute.  

“I mean, Adrien’s Chat Noir?” Marinette giggled. “No way.  Adrien’s so sweet and quiet and funny. Chat’s just... “

 _‘What is Chat exactly?’_ she thought.

“Chat’s just Chat,” she finished with a shrug.  “Yeah he’s a great partner, but he’s a giant goofball!  Nothing like Adrien!”

Tikki smiled kindly. “I think you got your hopes up,” she teased.

Marinette pretended to swat Tikki away. “Oh shush!” Although she couldn’t stop her imagination from running wild with ideas of late night rendezvous with the gorgeous Adrien.  She could pretend to lose her footing and he could catch her in his arms. They could sit atop the Eiffel Tower, swinging their feet in the breeze. They could go to school, spend time with friends, get lunch, all while slyly sharing their secret with only each other.

“Hmmm,” she sighed again, a small smile playing on her lips. “If only,” she said quietly.

Tikki laughed. “If he was Chat Noir, you wouldn’t be able to hold a conversation long enough to fight an Akuma.”

“Hah hah,” Marinette said wryly. “Very funny!”  She hugged her tiny friend and began to unweave her hair.

“Hey!” Tikki whined. “I thought it looked good like that.”

“I know, Tikki.  But I can’t exactly go back to class with a new hairstyle.”  Marinette smirked. “I need to look like I’m sick, not trying new fashion trends.”

Tikki giggled and the two of them began untangling Marinette’s hair.  Tikki continued to tease Marinette about Adrien as they worked. The red Kwami zipped into the small pink bag as Marinette made her way back to class, feeling a lot lighter than she had all day.

* * *

  **To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *End note*
> 
> Tikki… you sneaky sneaky Kwami…
> 
> Next up:  
> How’s Adrien handling this new information? We last saw him shocked and confused by a flash of familiar pink shoes. Will Plagg be just as sly as Tikki or is he less likely to follow The Code?
> 
> Bunnie’s Note:  
> I just want to say that I do not speak French at all (save for a few simple words). So I’ll avoid trying to say anything remotely French in my fic. But for Alya’s picture folder (Moi et Mec), I referenced this website: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/french-slang-argot/  
> It lists popular French slang so I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try something simple from there.  
> I hope you guys don’t mind a few words every now and then and I’ll try to remember to include a link to show where I got it from (and to pass off some of the blame if it’s incorrect).
> 
> Please, don’t forget to review! I’d love to hear what you think; the good, bad, and ugly!  
> °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie
> 
> P.S. I’m on fanfiction.net, Ao3, & Tumblr! (same username: BunniElyse)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How’s Adrien handling this new information? We last saw him shocked and confused by a flash of familiar pink shoes. Will Plagg be just as sly as Tikki or is he less likely to follow The Code?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak a Peek  
> Sometimes you have to break the rules
> 
> *Author’s note*  
> Oh em gee! Another chapter?!  
> I have so many ideas, I just had to keep writing! I really made myself sit down and focus so I could get my ideas out in one sitting. I was worried that if I spaced out my writing sessions during this chapter that I would lose the amazing chemistry I was getting between Plagg and Adrien.
> 
> Again, thank you SO much for all of the love! You guys are the best! You really give me the drive to keep writing and creating and I love it so much. I really need the mental escape and you guys are helping me get there!
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie

******CHAPTER 3**

* * *

Adrien’s head popped up from his notes as the door to the classroom slowly opened and Marinette side-stepped in, clearly trying to avoid detection.  Adrien felt his neck grow hot and his hands went clammy as his eyes flew to her pink shoes of their own accord. His attention flew back to her face and then their instructor, who had inevitably noticed Marinette’s return, when she giggled shyly and gave a small wave to Miss Bustier.

“I’m so sorry about before, Miss Bustier,” Marinette said, her small giggle and quiet voice making it apparent she was embarrassed.

“Well,” Miss Bustier sighed with a smile. “It wouldn’t be the first time.  Please take your seat, Marinette.”

Adrien stiffened, but tried to look nonchalant as Marinette breezed past him and into her seat.  He urged his muscles to relax as he returned to his note taking. He couldn’t help but hear Alya quietly ask Marinette if she were okay and Marinette’s affirmative response, followed by a quick apology for worrying her friend.

He tried to focus on his notes, but his thoughts were a jumbled mess.  He spent the rest of the day - through his classes, through lunch with Nino (thankfully Marinette and Alya were nowhere to be found), through his fencing class, the drive home and dinner with his father - arguing with himself through internal monologue.  Declaring to himself, _‘She can’t be her!’_ and _‘What about her shoes?’_ then _‘What_ about _her shoes?!_ ’ ending with _‘I should have looked at more than just her_ stupid _shoes!’_ before the cycle restarted.

Once his obligations for the day were through, Adrien gratefully flopped onto his bed with a loud sigh.  He hadn’t hit the duvet for more than two seconds, before Plagg was perched beside him eating a wedge of camembert.  

“So…” Plagg drawled conspiratorially around a mouthful of cheese. “Marinette, huh?”

“Not you too!” Adrien groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut and massaged his temples.

“Too?” the black Kwami asked, perplexed. “You weren’t arguing with yourself again, were you?” he added, teasing.

“Shut up, Plagg,” he sounded annoyed, but he rolled his eyes with a smirk.  “Or I’ll hide all your precious cheese!”  
  
Plagg just waved him off, “Yeah right,” he scoffed. “My well-tuned nose would find it in a second.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow, “Oh, so you’re a dog now?”  
  
If looks could kill.  
  
“How very dare you…” Plagg said, his voice dripping with disdain.

Adrien chuckled lightly.  Even though he often teased the little Kwami, he really loved and appreciated Plagg.  Everyone in Adrien’s life treated him like he was made of glass or was above them, just because he was a minor celebrity.  He hated how nobody was _real_ with him, not even Nino.  They always talked to him so kindly, their words and attitudes toward him were coated in sugar.  And even though he knew they meant well and his friends genuinely liked being around him, he was admittedly pretty sensitive to the fact that no one opened up to him or talked to him about real problems.    
  
Or occasionally roasted him, like Plagg did.

Plagg didn’t care who Adrien was as a status symbol, but who Adrien the _person_ was.  He was real with him and honest.  He told it like it was instead of trying to let him down gently.  Plagg knew about his crush on Ladybug, but didn’t make fun of him for it.  In fact, the Kwami had opened up to him in return, explaining that he and Tikki - who Adrien now knew was the Ladybug Kwami - were destined to always be together, but always apart.  They were lovers, but their duties forced them to live without the other, until the day came that the Miraculous users were united. That was why the Black Cat Miraculous user and the Ladybug Miraculous user were always drawn together, like a magnet.

_'In fact,’_ the little cat had said long ago, ‘it’s not unusual for the two Miraculous users to know each other outside of crime fighting.’

Adrien had, at the time, interpreted this to mean that past users had been aware of each other’s identities.  He begged Plagg to tell him who Ladybug was, but he had stubbornly refused. He did, however, acquiesce and confirmed that he has sensed the ladybug Kwami - and by extension the user - near to Adrien on multiple occasions.  Implying that Adrien most likely knows who Ladybug is, without the mask.

Because his Kwami was so forthright about this information, the two of them often talked about love and destiny.  They had bonded over it. It was hard _not_ to bond with the little black Kwami when every night they literally became one.  He would always think of Plagg as the reason he was able to escape his prison-like home while Plagg always thought of Adrien as his means to be near his soul mate.  The two of them always looked forward to the darkening sky, no matter the weather, as it was a chance to see their Ladies.

Despite his frustration and anxiety about his Lady’s true identity - and whether or not it was actually one of his friends - Adrien was becoming revitalized as the sun set and the city’s lights began to glow.

“I know _The Code_ prevents you from telling me anything, Plagg,” Adrien said quietly, “but this is driving me crazy.”

Plagg floated over and flopped heavily on top of Adrien’s head, holding onto a few strands of hair for balance.  “I know, Lover Boy. But someday, you’ll find out. They always find out.”

This wasn’t the first time he had said this and it had always given Adrien hope and a light fluttery feeling in his chest, but his patience - and longing - were growing thin.

“So tell me why you think it’s Marinette,” Plagg said conversationally.

“Well,” Adrien started, resisting the urge to run his hands through his hair as he did not want to dislodge the little Kwami. “Like I said, all I saw were her shoes.  I recognized them because they’re my father’s brand, so I didn’t really have much to go on, you know?”

He felt the Kwami nod and continued.

“But then I saw Marinette today in school.”  
  
“Mmhmm,” hummed Plagg.

“And she had the exact same shoes that Ladybug was wearing,” Adrien said. “ _Exactly_ the same.”

“But you said so yourself,” answered the Kwami. “Those shoes are the Gabriel brand.  Doesn’t everyone have those?”

Adrien groaned, he knew he was going to say that.  He’d been saying the same thing to himself all day. “I know, Plagg.  But, I just _feel_ like it was her.”  Plagg remained silent and Adrien sighed again in defeat. “I don’t know…  I can’t explain it.”

They were silent for a few moments, before Plagg said quietly, “I think you got your hopes up.”

Adrien’s mouth twitched to the side in thought.  He _had_ gotten his hopes up.  He thought he had finally found the answer to the Miraculous mystery woman.  Sure, he was kind of surprised it was Marinette.

Just plain Marinette.  

He liked Marinette, sure, but as much as he hated to admit it, she was one of the worst offenders when it came to treating him differently.  She would laugh and have fun with Alya and the girls, but when he came by she would immediately shut down and go into what he called, _Star Struck Mania_ .  He’d experienced it his whole life as a model.

Ladybug on the other hand; she treated him like a normal human being.  Well, she treated _Chat Noir_ like a normal human being.  She told him her thoughts and feelings and called him out when he had bad ideas.  She trusted him with her life and protected him with hers. She cared for him, worried about him, laughed with him, teased him, and fought for him.

Of course he got his hopes up when he thought he had finally found the girl behind the mask.

“Maybe you’re right, Plagg.” He said dismally.

“Hey kid,” Plagg said gently, as he floated down to Adrien’s face. “It’s alright.  You thought you knew and you just jumped the gun a little. It happens.”

Adrien nodded with a small side smile.  “I’ll find her someday, Plagg.”

The black Kwami smiled a huge toothy grin, his small fangs catching the light. “That’s the right attitude!  Now, are we gonna get going or what?!”

Adrien let loose a laugh as his stress from the day began to melt away from his neck and shoulders.  “Alright alright! Don’t get your tail in a twist.”

He hopped off the bed and, careful to not be too loud, said, “Alright, let’s go find our Ladies.  Plagg, Claws Out!”

* * *

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Plagg so muuuuuuuch!!!! ( ͒˃̩̩⌂˂̩̩ ͒)
> 
> Ahem! Just plain Marinette, Adrien?! How insulting.
> 
> Next up:  
> Marinette seems satisfied that Adrien isn’t Chat Noir (although that doesn’t stop her from fantasizing about it). Although Adrien seemed to accept that Marinette isn’t Ladybug, he can’t help but notice a trail of breadcrumbs that leads back to his school friend.
> 
> Bunnie’s Note:  
> I can’t thank you guys enough for reviewing, giving me kudos, and following me and my fic!  
> I’m just about done with Sneak a Peek (it’s going to be short) BUT I have a sequel already in mind in which Adrien and Marinette are adults. I really want to write something romantic for them, but keeping them teenaged (i.e. 14) makes it really difficult for me to write their emotions accurately. Of course I remember what it was like to be a teenager, but at the same time I’m married and with a baby now, so my ideas on romance, flirting, and sexiness is not the same as a 14 year old character. Lol  
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> Please, don’t forget to review! I’d love to hear what you think; the good, bad, and ugly!  
> °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie
> 
> P.S. I’m on Fanfiction.net, Ao3, & Tumblr! (same username: BunniElyse)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak a Peek: Sometimes you have to break the rules
> 
> *Author’s note*  
> Bluh bluh! *typical Vampire sound effect*
> 
> Sorry it’s been so long since an update!!! > ___ <
> 
> I’ve been chipping away at this chapter for a week or so now. I’m not totally thrilled with it; It didn’t go in the direction I had initially intended. But I did have a lot of fun getting inside Adrien’s head and creating his thought process. Plus, I just really love his interactions with Plagg!
> 
> Anyway! Enjoy this shower scene (not THAT kind of shower scene, you dirty!) and morning routine with plenty of near-angst and mood swings.
> 
> Oh teenagers… (•⚗৺⚗•)
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

 

Adrien sighed as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, allowing the hot water from the shower to slowly wake him up.  Admittedly, he’d been spending far too much time out at night as Chat Noir lately, but even at home, nestled in his bed covers, sleep eluded him.  

In the last several weeks, Adrien had developed the habit of sleepy morning showers, followed by one of Nathalie’s famous three shot vanilla espresso shooters (typically only meant for his father), and ended with a swift drive to school.

He yawned as he slowly scrubbed shampoo into his hair, allowing his thoughts to scramble and unravel.

Life had a funny way of picking up speed just when he wished it would slow down.

Although Akuma attacks were a normal part of Adrien’s life, it seemed like they’d been becoming more and more dangerous.  In just the last few weeks, both him and Ladybug had nearly lost their Miraculouses to the Akumatized villains. The monsters were getting bigger, quicker, more devious, and more wiley.  Proof that Hawkmoth was becoming more desperate for their Miraculouses.

As if their battles with the monsters wasn’t difficult enough, Adrien’s lack of concentration only made things worse.  Although he enjoyed fighting side by side with his Lady, he was discovering that his curiosity toward her and her identity was quickly becoming an obsession.  He struggled to switch his attention from Ladybug to the monsters and had several near misses because of it. He constantly found himself wondering if he knew her in his civilian life.  Plagg had hinted that she went to the same school as him, which was simultaneously exhilarating and frustrating. Knowing she was that close everyday made him want to know who she was even more.

 _‘No,’_ he thought. ‘ _Not want._ Need _! I need to know.’_  He turned in the shower and reached for his toothbrush, sighing again, this time in frustration rather than exhaustion.  

Not only was his mind befuddled with thoughts of Ladybug, but he still struggled to wrap his head around Plagg’s ability to change into different forms and his new “Chinese teacher.”

That day they fought Syren had been a dark day for him.  It was the first day he had truly given up on Ladybug and given up on Plagg.  He’d felt so betrayed and hurt. He trusted Ladybug with his life, but it broke his heart to see that she didn’t feel the same way.  If she trusted him, she would have told him about Master Fu. She would have told him where she was disappearing to, leaving him stranded in the middle of battle.  

Not just Ladybug.  

Plagg!  He knew Plagg was most likely following _The Code_ , but it didn’t calm his feelings of betrayal.  The cat Kwami had shared so much with him in the past, that Adrien couldn’t comprehend why the existence of a Keeper of the Miraculouses would need to be a secret.  

Especially if Ladybug already knew about him.

It just wasn’t fair.  That’s what it boiled down to.

Plagg keeping the Master’s existence a secret from him in addition to Ladybug’s clandestine meetings with Master Fu made him feel like he was just an extra in Ladybug’s hero duties.  Like he was her sidekick and not her partner.

Ages ago he would have thought that Ladybug viewed him as her equal, but now he wasn’t so sure.

These feelings of betrayal paired with her recent rooftop rejection gave Adrien the drive to remove Ladybug from the pedestal he had placed her on and to keep her at arm’s length; To just remain friends.  

He had believed that he was okay with unrequited love; Simply waiting until Ladybug loved him back.  Despite her rejection, he couldn’t help but harbor a deep adoration for the girl. He’d truly tried to move on, but his feelings continued to get in the way.

Zombizou made him realize that.  

Regardless of his duty to protect Ladybug and his city, he was secretly on Zombizou’s side, if only it meant Ladybug would get kissed and then in turn, kiss him.  He knew he was being petulant, but the idea that she had already kissed him while he was being controlled by Dark Cupid drove him crazy. He had felt like Zombizou was his chance to steal a kiss in return, but this idea only made him feel more guilty.  He knew that if that had happened, they would have lost the battle. Lost their Miraculouses. Lost their Kwamis. Lost Paris.

All for a stupid kiss.

That was why, after her rejection, he had tried to move on.

Tried.

He shook his head under the stream of water, trying not to think about it.  He turned the tap off and began drying himself with his towel before sleepily styling his hair.

His resolve to move on from Ladybug crumbled when Plagg had inferred that he most likely knew Ladybug outside of the suit.

 _‘What if,’_ he thought.

He remembered the flickering candlelight that reflected in her troubled eyes.   _“Because there’s a boy…”_ she had said. 

“But who is he?” Adrien grumbled to himself.

“Who’s who?” Plagg asked through a yawn.  The Kwami slowly crawled out from under the pile of blankets on the bed.

Adrien waved him off and continued to get ready for school. “It’s not a big deal, Plagg.  I’m just thinking out loud.”

“Was it a bad dream?” Plagg pressed, smoothing his sleep wrinkled whiskers with his tongue and paw.

“Not really,” he said as he tied his shoes.  “I just keep thinking about all the stuff I don’t understand.”

The black cat Kwami raised an eyebrow, “So everything then?”

“Ha ha,” Adrien rolled his eyes. “Very funny.  You know what I mean.”

“Look,” Plagg said as he checked himself over in the mirror. “If you’re really driving yourself that crazy over it, then why don’t you just try to find Ladybug yourself.”

Adrien looked up from his shoes and blinked in shock. “But... “ he wavered, “What good would that do?”

“Well,” Plagg said sternly, “I can’t help you, but I can’t _stop_ you either.”

They both had an understanding that Plagg knew who Ladybug was; That he had seen her in the storage container when fighting Dark Owl.  They had had a long talk afterward about why he couldn’t tell Adrien who she was.

So what was the point of Plagg egging him on to find her now?  Was he just as fed up with Ladybug’s - and by extension, Tikki’s - actions?

“No,” Adrien shook his head.  He grabbed Plagg and quickly, albeit gently, pushed him into his messenger bag. “I’m over it, Plagg.  If she’s going to keep these secrets from me, then I’ll just play along and move past it.”

Plagg hissed lightly from inside the bag, “If you were over it, then you wouldn’t be talking to yourself like a crazy person.”

“Well what do you expect me to do?” He asked in frustration, peering at Plagg’s glinting green eyes.  “We have to follow the stupid _Code_.”

“You have enough information to go on!” The Kwami snapped back. “I’ve told you she’s at your school!  You’ve seen her shoes! Start there!”

Her voice came back to him, _“There’s a boy…”_

 _‘What if…’_ he thought again.

He quickly shook his head to clear her voice from his mind.  No. Sure, maybe they know each other, but the chances that _he’s_ this “boy” was slim to none.

But still.

He could try.

Plagg’s right.  It couldn’t be _that_ difficult.

“Plagg,” Adrien began.

The cat Kwami interrupted hotly, “No, I’m not talking to stupid humans anymo-”

“I think you’re right.”

“-rewhat?” his mouth fell open in shock.

“I think you’re right,” Adrien repeated, getting excited. “I will find her!  If I find her without your help, like by _accident_ ,” he emphasized _accident_ with finger quotes, “then we won’t be breaking _The Code_ and or get in trouble with Master Fu! Right?”

The black Kwami smiled a big, toothy grin. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!”

Adrien laughed softly, feeling lighter than he had in awhile.  His new purpose to find Ladybug, whoever she may be, recharged him with excited energy.

He quickly grabbed a small wheel of camembert, sliding it into his bag for Plagg, and rushed out of his room with a bounce in his step.

He said a fast, “G’morning!” to Nathalie when he met her outside, next to the towncar.  He threw back the espresso shooter that she had waiting for him and slipped into the empty backseat.

 _‘I will find her,’_ he thought with resolve.  He watched as the suburbs of Paris flashed by, his determined grin growing as they raced closer to his school.

* * *

  **To be continued…**

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Endnote*
> 
> Next up:  
> Adrien and Plagg are on the hunt!  
> Not too many chapters left! Maybe two or three! Don’t worry, I have a sequel planned that will follow our two Heroes as adults! WoooOOOooo!
> 
> Bunnie’s Reviewer Shoutout:  
> Fanfiction: LycoRogue, marauderluverz, Ordalie Gwynfyd, Gallagher Girl, & Tiger Priestess  
> Ao3: Bowser14456, o, & Hilzabub
> 
> Thank you to all who left Kudos and Likes! All of you give me life!!!
> 
> Please, don’t forget to review! I’d love to hear what you think; the good, bad, and ugly!  
> °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie
> 
> P.S. I’m on Fanfiction, Ao3, & Tumblr! (same username: BunniElyse)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Waves arms* I’m here! I’m here!
> 
> Sorry it’s been so long since I updated! This is my longest chapter yet (just at 10 pages!) so I hope you don’t mind the wait!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie

* * *

  **Chapter 5**

* * *

The way Adrien had been scoping his fellow classmates was almost comical.  He was sure he looked crazy and paranoid. 

That morning before classes he loitered in the locker room and carefully watched his classmates file in, meet up with their friends, and head to their respective classes.  He took careful note of every girl that came in.  He watched not only his classmates, but girls from other classes and grades as well.  So far he had counted nearly fifty girls that were all wearing those simple pink ballet flats by Gabriel. 

This wasn’t going to be easy.

Sure, he knew he could analyze their hairstyle, eye color, or body type, but if his own Miraculous transformation altered his appearance, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that hers would be changed in some way too.  He didn’t want to take any chances by eliminating girls he thought may not fit simply because they didn’t look the part.  Furthermore, a new beauty craze had taken hold of Parisian teenagers, inspired by Ladybug herself.  It wasn’t unusual to find someone sporting a pigtail hairstyle or wearing red and black polka dot leggings.  Some even went so far as to wear blue contact lenses. 

Similarly, a new health craze called Miraculously Fit had swept the city, helping people to stay healthy through sports like martial arts and gymnastics.  Adrien found this to be especially vexing.  Now, most teenagers would openly flaunt their “moves”, which were exact copies of moves him and Ladybug had used against villains.

Instead of finding a girl who should have stood out from everyone else, he was finding hundreds of facsimiles.

Even now, as he sat against a courtyard wall with Nino, Alya, and Marinette during their free period, he watched as a couple of younger students practiced their martial arts, all flaunting the latest in Ladybug fashion.  They were loud and distracting as they laughed and posed for selfies, mimicking his Lady.

He contemplated other methods in which to distinguish copycats from the real Ladybug.  If he couldn’t rely on looks, physique, or talent then he’d have to take a deeper look into what made Ladybug, Ladybug.

She was kind, funny, quick on her feet, dedicated, fearless, unrelenting, and full of determination.  She never gave up and she always spoke her mind.  Most of all, she was forgiving.  At times, Adrien had found himself angry or disappointed in the people who had been akumatized, but not her.  She put herself on their level and comforted them when they were confused and most needed it.

She was selfless.

She was perfect.

 _'Where am I going to find someone like that?’_ he thought, perplexed.

“I _know_!”

Adrien was shocked out of his thoughts by Alya’s loud squeal.  He looked at his friends, instinctively sculpting his mouth into a smile to try and hide that he hadn’t been paying attention.

“I can _not_ believe that Jagged Stone is creating his own clothing line!” Alya continued.  Her phone was in her hand and her fingers flew over the screen as she browsed through the online store, shoving her phone into Nino and Marinette’s faces whenever she found a particularly exciting item.

“Oh,” Adrien said thoughtfully. “I remember hearing about this awhile ago.  My father’s company tried to make a contract with Jagged to design the clothing, but Jagged turned him down.”

Marinette looked surprised. “Oh really?  But Gabriel Fashion is one of the biggest companies in Paris!”

Adrien shrugged and flashed a small smile. “I don’t know the details,” he said unenthusiastically. “Jagged probably didn’t want to get caught up with someone as uptight as my father.”

“I don’t blame him!” Nino said loudly, balling his hands into fists. “No offense, dude, but your dad has a huge stick up his a-”

“Anyway!” Alya interrupted.  Nino and Adrien laughed.  “Aren’t you excited, Marinette?”

“Y-yeah!” Marinette mumbled, a bit flustered. “It’s way cool, I just wish I could afford it.”

Alya lifted a hand as if to brush Marinette’s comments out of the air. “What about when you work at the bakery?”

Marinette laughed, “It’s not a big deal.  I’ll just make my own Jagged Stone clothes.  It won’t be that hard; he’s all about edginess, spikes, rips-”

Nino’s eyes widened, “Really, Marinette?  You make it sound like creating clothing from scratch is easy.”

Alya hugged her friend with pride.  “Are you kidding, Nino?  Everything Marinette wears is something she made!  Right, girl?”

Marinette giggled and rubbed her arm in embarrased pride. “Yeah, totally.  All my parent’s money goes into the bakery, so instead of buying clothes, I just make them.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows in surprise.  He knew Marinette designed fashion and had made a few pieces in the past, but he thought it was just a hobby.  He had no idea that she was an actual, experienced, seamstress.

Without warning, he realized he felt some disappointment.  He knew that his Lady had been wearing Gabriel ballet flats; the butterfly insignia had been unmistakable through the pool of whipped cream.  If Marinette wore clothing only she made, then it just further proved that his initial belief that she was Ladybug was wrong.

 _'I don’t get it,’_ he thought.

He had never looked at Marinette in the same way he looked at Ladybug, so why did he feel disappointment course through him?  Was he disappointed that Marinette couldn’t be her?  Was it just because he had been close to finding out her identity?  Was it because she had potentially been by his side all along? 

Or was it something more; was he wrong about his feelings?  In the last few weeks since he mistakenly assumed she was Ladybug, Marinette had crept into his thoughts.  Even though he had crumpled up that theory and thrown it in the proverbial trash, thoughts of his raven-haired friend ensnared his brain.  She had certainly entered his thoughts, but had she snuck into his heart?

“What about your shoes?” he asked suddenly.

Marinette’s head swiveled quickly to look at him. “W-what?” she asked timidly.

He saw his father’s logo on her shoes. “Aren’t your shoes Gabriel brand?  They have the butterfly.”

“O-oh!” Marinette said with a nervous laugh.  “Y-yeah!  I really love your dad. _Father!_ I love your father! _I mean!_ I love Gabriel. _The brand!_ ”

“What she means is,” Alya interrupted. “Those shoes are her pride and joy.  That’s why she wears them all the time.”

 _‘In other words, she_ didn’t _make_ those _…’_

“R-right!” Marinette shouted.  She took a deep breath, as if recognizing that her voice had gone up a decibel. “I really look up to Gabriel as a fashion designer and so my parents got me these shoes for my birthday when I entered collège.”

“Y’know,” Alya said thoughtfully, looking at Marinette’s shoes.  “Yours do look different than the ones I’ve seen.  Were they special edition or something?”

Adrien followed her gaze and noticed that tiny rhinestones adorned the toe and heel of each shoe.  He squinted in thought, trying to remember if his Lady’s had the same details, but the whipped cream must have covered such delicate designs.

He realized he still had his eyes trained on her shoes and hurriedly looked up, directly into Marinette’s curious blue ones.  He was mildly embarrassed to see that she had caught him staring.

“Yeah,” he added to cover his discomfort. “I don’t recall seeing any designs with these stones.”

Marinette quickly shook her head and smiled. “No, I put these on myself!”

“Really?” Nino asked in surprise, his mouth full of cheeseburger. “All of those? That had to have taken forever!”

“No, not really!” Marinette smiled. “Even though they’re Gabriel brand, I felt like I still needed to make them my own, you know?  So my mom and I glued them on with fabric glue.”

Alya and Nino continued to eat their lunch and talk about the Jagged Stone clothing line.  They each suggested that Marinette should create something for them, to which she eagerly agreed.

“Can you put some rhinestones on mine too?” Alya asked excitedly.  She was already flipping through her phone for some edgy fashion inspiration.

Adrien couldn’t help but notice how Marinette’s face lit up and felt the unmistakable tingling of his heartstrings; a sensation that he only ever felt around Ladybug. 

Maybe his feelings _had_ begun to change.

“Sure!” she said enthusiastically. “But I’ll have to find a new type of glue to use.”  She ran her fingers along the stones on her shoes. “Some of mine have fallen off, so I want to make sure yours stay on.”

Alya squealed again, hugging her friend. “Girl, I am so excited!  You’re the best!”

Adrien smiled at his friends, his eyes hovering on Marinette a little longer than usual.  Nino was a welcome distraction from his malstrom of thoughts - now even more confused than before - as they discussed Jagged Stone’s clothing and plans for the weekend.

* * *

The rest of the day was a whirlwind to Adrien, thanks to his muddled thoughts of Marinette and Ladybug. He couldn’t get his friend out of his mind.  As if a seed had been planted and was taking root, he began connecting what he knew about Marinette and what he knew about his Lady.  The puzzle pieces were fitting together to form a bigger picture of who his Lady might really be and his imagination was running wild. 

He imagined himself as Chat Noir fighting alongside Ladybug. 

Then he was Chat Noir flying high across the city with Marinette in his arms. 

Him and Marinette sunbathing on a beach in the south.

Sipping coffee together.

Cuddling next to a fire.

Saving their city.

Smiling.

Laughing.

“It has to be her, Plagg.” Adrien said quietly as he watched the sun begin to set.

Plagg twitched his whiskers, “Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t.”

Adrien rolled his eyes, but smirked at his friend in semi-annoyance.  “Don’t you know how to say anything else?”

“Can’t you do anything else besides roll your eyes?” Plagg shot back with a smug flick of his tail.

Adrien grimaced inwardly when he realized he was about to roll his eyes.  “Touché.”

“Well, Lover Boy,” Plagg teased as he floated over to Adrien and leaned against the window pane.  “Do you want to go clear your mind, or what?”

“You read my mind,” he smiled. “Plagg, claws out!”

Soon they were flying through the air and Chat’s smile grew into a huge, toothy grin as the wind pleasantly whipped his hair off his forehead.

He ran across rooftops and vaulted from building to building.  He enjoyed hearing gasps from the Parisians as he passed and waved when they held up their phones for a quick picture.

The sun was nearly set as he settled onto a sloping rooftop near Marinette’s balcony.

He hadn’t planned on visiting her when he first set out, but the words, _‘What if…’_ buzzed around his consciousness like an annoying fly.

What if…

He was right?

What if…

He talked to her as Chat Noir?  
            Would she act differently?  
                        Would she give herself away?

What if…

There was was an Akuma attack tonight?  
            He could watch her as she heard the news.  
                        He would see her Kwami.  
                                    He would see her transformation.

_‘What if…’_

Those thoughts were still fluttering around his subconscious as he debated whether or not to make the jump to her balcony.

His mind was made up for him, however, when he heard Alya’s familiar shrill float up from the open balcony door.  Chat vaulted onto one of the patisserie’s many chimneys - careful to land silently - so as to listen to their conversation with ease.

“Girl!” Alya gasped. “He asked you what?  How long have you even been talking to him?”

Chat’s ears perked up even further. _‘Him? Him who?’_

Marinette giggled and Chat recognized that she sounded a little uncomfortable. “Since the music festival.”

There was a long whistle - _‘Probably from Alya,’_ he thought - followed by a short silence.

“How’d he even get your number?” Alya asked.

“I think Juleka gave it to him.”

Silence again.

“Oh stop, Alya!” Marinette sounded annoyed, a tone Chat had rarely heard from her, except when she spoke with Chloe.

“What?” Alya asked defensively.

“I just think you’re getting a little too protective.”

“Bu-”

“I mean, thank you for caring and making sure I’m okay-”

“Girl-”

“But you don’t have to be my caretaker either.”

Marinette had said everything in a rush and let out a long sigh after she finished.  Chat assumed she had been holding that in for a while.  It must have taken a lot of courage for her to say that to her friend.  He smiled slightly at the thought.

Alya sighed and Chat could imagine she was her rubbing her eyes. “Marinette, I know you don’t need me to fight your battles.  But do you even really know this guy?  I mean, he’s like what, three years older than us?  Isn’t that a little weird?”

“Two years,” Marinette corrected.

 _‘Two years?’_ Chat thought, his jealousy growing.  That practically made this guy an adult.  What’s an adult doing chatting up a teenager?

“It’s not weird,” Marinette added. “He’s still in school.  And he’s a nice guy!  It’s not like he’s some weirdo off the street.”

“Okay, okay, fine!” Alya acquiesced.  “I mean, if he’s Juleka’s brother, he can’t be that bad.”

“Thank you!” Marinette said happily.

 _'Luka?’_ Chat thought back to that day on Juleka’s boat and the music festival.  Since the festival, him and Luka had met up occasionally to play keyboard and guitar.  Luka was a talented musician and Adrien found that it was easy to keep up with him as they improvised songs. 

What was he doing talking to Marinette?

“Hey!” Marinette said suddenly. “I thought you were all for me chasing after Luka?”

Her friend scoffed. “I’m all for you chasing after someone else!”

Chat’s eyes narrowed in thought. _‘Someone else?’_

Marinette’s accompanying sigh was full of frustration and unhappiness. “That’ll never happen.”

“Adrien’s blind, Marinette.”

Chat shot up at full attention.  He had to physically slap a hand to his mouth to muffle the yelp that escaped his lips.

“You’ll have to make the first move on him, girl,” she continued.

Marinette squealed in embarrassment. “I can’t!” she whined.

Alya was speaking in between her laughter, but it sounded like another language to Chat’s shocked mind.  Until Marinette began speaking again and his heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster.

“No, Alya,” she said soberly. “I can’t. I’m trying to move on.”

“I don’t believe you!” Alya said sarcastically. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been in love with that boy.”

 _‘In love…?’_ Chat’s heart was beating out of his chest.  Marinette loves him?  Was that why she was always so ditsy and flustered around him?  It wasn’t because he was a celebrity?  It was because she had a crush on him? 

He had been wrong about her this entire time and he felt terrible.  He was so used to being gawked at and asked for autographs and selfies from equally flustered and ditsy fans, that he had immediately placed her in the “crazed fan” category.

But she had never asked for his autograph.

All of their selfies were with their friends and not for fansites.

He felt a large weight rest in his gut as the guilt settled in.  He had always put her at arm’s length all because he had jumped to conclusions and had the wrong impression of her.  He had never given her a chance to get to know her outside of class or social gatherings.  He lamented his distance from her as realization hit him that she truly cared about him as a friend.  She was always kind to him, even giving him her unique lucky bracelet.  She was always encouraging in his pursuits, like the music video.  She was funny and quick witted and he admired how often she would jump in to defend a classmate against Chloe.

He just wished she was comfortable around him, crush or no crush.  He had begun to appreciate her true personality, but was quickly disappointed when she shied away from him.

He just wanted her to treat him like she treated Alya.

To talk to him and joke with him.

In his recent memory, the only time Marinette talked to him without fumbling over her words was when he visited her as Chat Noir.  He considered for a minute that maybe he should continue to visit her in his disguise, but he quickly shook the thought out of his head.

 _‘No,’_ he thought. _‘If I want to get the real Marinette, I need to be the real Adrien.’_

Sitting on the rooftop, the warm breeze tickling the hair at the nape of his neck, Chat finally accepted his feelings for Marinette.  They didn’t measure up to his feelings toward Ladybug, but he couldn’t ignore the warm feeling in his heart either.  He didn’t necessarily reciprocate her feelings of love, but he couldn’t deny the crush he was forming for her.

A small smile began to grow on his lips as he made up his mind to get to know the real Marinette.  He was determined to make her comfortable around him, enough so that her Adrien-induced stutter would stop and they could speak freely.  He found that he wanted to know more about her.

He hadn’t noticed that the girl’s voices had faded and was jolted back to reality when he heard the bakery’s front door open and close.  He carefully crawled along the roof so he could peek down to the street below.  Alya and Marinette were standing just beyond the entrance to her home, saying their goodbyes.

“Marinette, I know Adrien’s a sensitive topic and I’m sorry I brought it up.”  Alya hugged her friend and Marinette nodded in understanding.  “I think a date with Luka sounds great.  How about we all go.  Like a double date!”

Marinette clapped her hands together and jumped a little. “That’s a great idea!  Are you sure?  I mean, would Nino mind?”

Alya waved her off. “Not at all!  It’ll be fun.  Granted, he’ll probably be just as confused as me that you’re getting over Adrien-”

_‘Getting… over?’_

“But he likes Luka, musician to musician.  So it’ll be fun!”

Marinette smiled and hugged her friend again.  “Thanks so much!  You’re the best!”

The two friends separated and Chat heard Alya call out, “Keep me posted!” before she disappeared around the corner and Marinette made her way back inside.

Chat sat in mild shock.  It seemed too ironic that the moment he realized his feelings for her, the moment he decided to gain the courage to possibly date her, she was over him and dating someone else.

First Ladybug turns him down on the roof and now Marinette decides he’s not worth chasing after.

He couldn’t win.

 _‘What does Luka have that I don’t have?’_ he thought in frustration.  But his own argument was quickly snuffed when he remembered that he could only blame himself.  She had been smitten with him for over two years, but his disregard for her feelings had pushed her away.

Feeling dejected and full of self-loathing, along with a large dose of Luka-aimed jealousy, Chat stood to his full height and vaulted into the night and away from bakery’s aroma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah!! I hope you liked it!!!
> 
> I was going to continue this chapter, but I think it just makes more sense to continue into a new chapter.
> 
> Adrinette & MariChat was SO CLOSE!!!!!! (I ship MariChat hard, btw) >.>
> 
> Anyway, I really mixed up my writing style in this chapter, but I hope you guys liked it. I felt like Adrien’s thoughts were so all over the place and jumping from one thing to another that I began writing his thoughts in an unstructured/structured/poetic form. Sort of like how I think all of our thoughts are stream of consciousness; one thought comes from another thought that comes from another thought and so on.
> 
> What do you think?
> 
> Next up:  
> Possibly the last chapter! Plagg continues to not-so-helpfully help Adrien find Ladybug’s true identity. Amidst the confusion of teenage love and moonlighting as one of Paris’s superheros, Adrien is brought back to reality when someone from his past resurfaces.
> 
> Bunnie’s Reviewer, Follower, and Subscription Shoutouts:
> 
> Fanfiction: LycoRogue, marauderluverz, Tiger Priestess, Demi clayton (guest), Weebo23, StarryNight101, Edelisle, DANIELA123, jon4576, archer71, KassandraConK, digifreak15, xXtomboysRuleXx, LustLets, WhiteTigerMisty, ReiGriffins, littledoe1369, Narakat57, onetkdgirl, darkroxas92, Zlotowlosa, Joe12321, BeccaArenas, Jake Day-Rea, Coed-Mor Draig, & TinyFox2 
> 
> Ao3: Hilzabub, Draxynnic, WhimsiKitty, & Msmiley4
> 
> Thank you to all who left Kudos and Favorites! All of you give me life!!!
> 
> Please, don’t forget to review! I’d love to hear what you think; the good, bad, and ugly!  
> °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie
> 
> P.S. I’m on Fanfiction, Ao3, & Tumblr! (same username: BunniElyse)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plagg continues to not-so-helpfully help Adrien find Ladybug’s true identity. Amidst the confusion of teenage love and moonlighting as one of Paris’s superheros, Adrien is brought back to reality when someone from his past resurfaces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneak a Peek: Sometimes you have to break the rules
> 
> *Author’s note*  
> So sorry for the long break between chapters! I almost gave up on this fic, but your reviews and comments kept me going!
> 
> Longest chapter yet, at 22 pages and ~7600 words!
> 
> Xoxo,  
> Bunnie

* * *

**Chapter 6**

* * *

 

The next several days were painful and depressing for Adrien.

Unsurprisingly, he frequently overheard Alya and Marinette chatting about the double date they had enjoyed the previous weekend and the upcoming concert that Luka had invited Marinette to. 

Even worse were the times he spent with his Lady during akuma attacks.  Ladybug had been the only person he could truly be himself around, but since that night on the balcony he felt awkward and unsure of himself around her.  Her rejection had hurt, although he hadn’t been surprised by it, he admitted.  Now, his puns were stale and her laughter was obviously forced with a polite smile. 

In a matter of days he had been rejected by two girls; one he hadn’t realized he had fallen for until it was too late.

Now, his only means of escape and freedom - running alongside Ladybug - was ruined.

Plagg, to his credit, was trying to help by distracting Adrien with encouraged nights out alone as Chat Noir.

“Just go for a run,” he would say, in his small nasally voice. “I know it always helps to clear your head.”

He tried to encourage Adrien with regular pep talks, but most of his good-intentioned musings ended with stab-to-the-gut phrases like:

“Luka’s not _that_ good looking.”

“They went out _again?_ ”

“She did say she was over you.”

Or his least favorite, “Ladybug’s not _that_ great.” 

While he agreed with Plagg’s other sentiments, this statement had him frequently biting his tongue.  He wanted to roll his eyes or complain that, no!  Ladybug _is_ that great.  She’s amazing.

 _'But no_ ,’ he thought as he spun around in his computer chair to face Plagg.  The kwami was breathless in one of his inspirational ramblings as he pigged out on a plate of different cheeses. _‘I’m getting over her.’_ He ran a hand through his hair.

“Weren’t you trying to get over her?”  Plagg said around a gobble of cheese, almost as if he had read Adrien’s mind.

The teenager winced as the word’s sharp edges cut into his chest.

Yes,” he said in a drawn out groan.  “I was.  I _am!”_   He amended. 

“Both of them?”  Plagg asked, raising one of his tiny eyebrows.

“Yes, Plagg!” He whined.  His eyes landed on the small Ladybug figurine resting on his bookshelf.  To prove his point, he grabbed it and threw it into the trashcan by his desk.  “Yes, both of them.” 

He made a mental note to remove the figure later that night when Plagg was asleep.

Plagg finished his last bite of camembert, having saved his favorite type of cheese for last, and floated over to rest on Adrien’s knee.  He tapped soothingly on his friend’s leg. “I’m sorry, Kid.  I know it’s hard.  I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve tried to get over Tikki.”

Adrien nodded, choosing to stay silent.  His kwami friend had talked about his painful past with Tikki and their previous users.  He knew that, through their shared feelings and emotions, Plagg was his biggest supporter. 

"Maybe you could go talk to the Master about it?” Plagg offered. “He always has the best advice.  And even if he doesn’t,” he added when he saw Adrien’s face, his mouth twisted to the side in skepticism. “He’s a great listener and makes delicious tea.”

Adrien quirked a small sideways smile and asked, “Is it cheese flavored?”

Plagg laughed, “I wish!”  He gave Adrien’s leg another tender pat before floating up into the air.  “How about it, Adrien.  I can show you how to get to the Master’s tea house.”

Adrien thought about it.  For weeks now Master Fu had been meeting him to discuss the miraculouses and their history under the guise of private chinese lessons, but it was always in the Agreste manor.  The Master had always been very forthright when answering Adrien’s many questions and yet refused to divulged the location of his shop.

“Are you sure he’d be okay with that?” He asked the kwami skeptically.  “He’s never invited me there before.”

Plagg brushed him off with a wave of his paw. “So what if the Master never wanted Keepers in his shop?  Look at Ladybug!”  Plagg poked Adrien in the forehead, “You and I both know she goes there all the time.  So why can’t we?”

Adrien scratched the back of his head as he averted his eyes from Plagg’s bright green ones.  “Well, I just figured those were emergencies.”

“And this isn’t?” Plagg shouted, lifting his tiny arms toward the ceiling in frustration.  “C’mon!  Let’s go!  Master Fu will understand.”

Adrien looked up from the floor feeling unsure of himself and his kwami’s decision making capabilities.  “I don’t know, Plagg.”  He let out a long sigh, his breath touseling his bangs and slightly ruffling Plagg’s long whiskers.  Of course he wanted to go.  He enjoyed speaking with Master Fu and he felt comfortable confiding his romantic misadventures to him.  Especially knowing that the ladybug and black cat kwami users were frequently romantically involved.  “I don’t want to intrude.”

Again, Plagg let out a short _psh_ sound as he flew to the large window and unlatched it.  “I’ll explain everything to him, don’t worry, Kid.”

“Claws?” Adrien asked.  When Plagg shook his head in the negative, Adrien nodded and pulled part of his button-up shirt away from his body.  The small kwami zipped into the space next to Adrien’s rib cage, in between the two shirts; the usual hiding place for the cat-like creature.

“We’ll need to go undisguised for now.” Plagg said, his voice muffled slightly.  “It’d be a little strange to see Chat Noir entering a tiny tea shop, no?”

“Right,” Adrien nodded.  He carefully climbed onto his desk, out the window, shimmied across the narrow ledge, leapt to the brick wall, and finally landed easily onto the empty sidewalk outside his family’s estate.  “Tell me the way, Plagg.”

He hoped talking to Master Fu would help to put him at ease and to help him move on from the two girls in his life.  The two which held tightly to the ends of the tangled knot in his gut.

* * *

 

When the two of them first arrived at the small, nondescript tea shop, Master Fu was just escorting a customer out of the thin front door.  His eyes widened slightly when he saw Adrien, but he beckoned him in with a large smile nonetheless.

Master Fu began rolling up a thin yoga mat and collected a series of thin acupuncture needles, which he slid safely into a small jar and placed onto a tall bookshelf.

“So,” he started, not unkindly, as he was putting the various materials away. “I take it this was Plagg’s idea?”

No sooner had he began talking than the aforementioned kwami zoomed out of his hiding place and began zipping around the room, affirming that, “Yes, it was my idea.”

Adrien smiled shyly and apologized for disrupting the Master’s privacy.  “I thought you ran a tea shop?”  He asked politely, gesturing to the yoga mat.

Master Fu laughed gently as he put away the last of his trade and motioned for Adrien to join him on the floor mat.

“Ah,” Master Fu said with a smile. “That gentleman is a regular here for weekly acupuncture treatments.  Others come for massage, essential oils, eastern medicine, and yes, tea.”

Adrien nodded politely as he took in the room.  It looked as if he had stepped off the streets of Paris right into the Orient.  Several wooden cabinets lined the walls, each with beautifully painted gold panels.  Atop one sat a small gong with an intricate mortar and pestle next to it.

‘ _Probably for tinctures,_ ’ Adrien thought.

On another sat a large, ornately carved phonograph, covered in what appeared to be Chinese characters.

More yoga mats, pillows, and futons were stacked along another wall, evidence of his massages and acupuncture practice.

“Jack of all trades and master of none, sir?”  Adrien asked with a smile.

Master Fu laughed heartily at this, “You got it, my boy.  When you get to be my age, you learn what people need.”

“And why not profit from it, right?”  Plagg asked loudly as he returned to the room - from where, Adrien had no idea - and landed softly in front of Master Fu, who in turn began scratching him under the chin.

“So what brings you in, Adrien?”  Master Fu asked finally. “Everything is alright, I hope?”

Adrien closed his eyes and took a shaky breath, gathering his nerves and his thoughts.

* * *

 

Master Fu and Adrien’s conversation flowed easily and lasted throughout the day.  Just as Plagg had said, the Master was receptive to Adrien’s feelings and reassured him that what he was going through was normal.  Not only was he following in the footsteps of his Miraculous predecessor, but he was experiencing life as a true teenager.  Master Fu advised him that to get over Ladybug or Marinette would be a mistake, but to instead embrace his feelings, the good and the bad.  To accept them was to experience life.

Master Fu pointed out that while Adrien felt as if he were drowning and hopeless, he was actually thriving.  He remarked that Adrien recognized his emotions, instead of shutting them inside.  Rather than passing blame and anger toward Marinette or Ladybug for their rejections, Adrien acknowledged their feelings and his blind mistakes.  He had continued to chase after Ladybug, even though she never reciprocated his flirtations.  Marinette had been fawning over him for years, but he was blinded by his adoration for Ladybug to even notice. 

He hadn’t just let himself down, he had let Marinette down too.  He had probably been making Ladybug feel uncomfortable this entire time and hadn’t noticed.

“These feelings,”  Master Fu was saying, “will help you to grow.  They will help you through life.  I am most impressed in the maturity you have displayed in your concern for the two young women’s feelings and not just your own.”

Adrien’s neck grew hot with embarrassment and he rubbed at it subconsciously.  “Thank you, Master.  When I think about it, both Marinette and Ladybug were my first real friends outside of Chloe and my house and my father’s control.  I hope I didn’t ruin anything.”

Master Fu shook his head and smiled.  “No, I don’t think you did.  You can use this experience to learn.  It’s not something you’re likely to repeat, am I right?”

Adrien shook his head slightly and returned the older man’s smile.  “No, sir.  I’ll pay closer attention to my friend’s feelings and I won’t act on my impulses either.”

Master Fu twitched his mouth in thought.  “Well, that’s a start, my boy.  You’re on your way.  After all, you fight the hardest for what is most important to you.”

Adrien smiled and nodded.  He gently rubbed at Plagg’s ears, who had curled into his lap hours earlier and was now stirring into wakefulness.  The sun was beginning to set and long shadows were stretching across the room.

Master Fu stood up and began to clear the tea tray and cups.  Adrien started to move to help, when he noticed something small on the other side of the room, embedded in the rug and glinting in the setting sunlight.  Adrien gently placed Plagg down, who was rubbing his eyes sleepily, and reached to pick up the glittering gem.  It looked like a small glass-like rhinestone.

_“Some of mine have fallen off…”_

Her small voice shot through his mind.

_“I put these on myself.”_

_“My mom and I glued them on…”_

He remembered her fingers as they gently ran over the rhinestones on her Gabriel shoes; rhinestones were missing in some places. 

Small, glass-like rhinestones.

“Master,” Adrien called suddenly, his dry mouth making his voice sound cracked and raspy.  He held onto the rhinestone tightly as he quickly stooped to help pick up the trays and plates and walked into the small kitchen.

Master Fu was just turning away from the sink, his eyebrows raised. “Yes, my boy?”

Adrien set the tray down gently and showed Master Fu the rhinestone.  “Master, I found this on your floor just now. Does it belong to you?”

Master Fu looked at it and stroked his chin.  “Hmm,” he said slowly, “I don’t believe I own anything, er, quite so decorative.  Perhaps it came from one of my customers?”

Adrien looked at the rhinestone again placed it into his jeans pocket.  He shook his head to clear his mind.  “By any chance, is Marinette one of your customers?  She has stones just like these on her shoes.”

Master Fu smiled kindly and reached to place a soothing hand on the teenager’s shoulder.  “Adrien, remember what we talked about.  Use your courage and emotions to reflect on what happened between you and that young lady. Don’t let your imagination run so wild you can’t catch up.  That decoration could belong to anybody.”

Adrien nodded and let out a slow breath.  “Thanks, Master Fu.” He hugged the smaller man and made his way to the front door.  “Thanks for everything.”

“Fanks Maffer!” Plagg said happily as he phazed through the fridge door, his mouth full of what Adrien could only assume was cheese.  Plagg swallowed loudly and waved at the old man before zooming into his safe spot under Adrien’s shirt.  “C’mon, Kid!  Let’s head home.”

Adrien waved one last time at Master Fu as the door clicked softly closed behind him.  He was happy Plagg’s mouth was full of cheese, as Adrien was too lost in thought to talk.  He stuffed his hands in his pockets, his finger and thumb pinching the rhinestone tightly.  He knew the Master was right.  If he let his imagination get away from him, he’d only get his hopes up.  Everything that had happened in the last few weeks, all of his sadness and frustration and anxiety over Marinette and Ladybug, would have been for nothing.  He wouldn’t have learned from his experiences, like the Master said.  He wouldn’t have grown.

He was about to turn the corner onto a busy street, heading back towards his home, when he heard a familiar sound enter the small street from behind him.  He quickly dove into a small alcove and peered around the corner, toward the sound of the laughter.  It was a small, thin girl, walking alone.

As she approached the door he had just exited, the light from Master Fu’s tea shop spilled out and illuminated the raven pigtails and bright blue eyes.

“Marinette?”  Adrien whispered in confusion, as she greeted Master Fu and disappeared inside.  “She _does_ go to his shop!”

His grip on the rhinestone slackened as he accepted that it was her rhinestone afterall.  Her mother was Chinese, so it made sense if her and her family were customers.

He was about to walk back toward the busy street, and back toward his house, but his feet wouldn’t cooperate.  Instead, they stood cemented to the ground.

There was something about the quick glimpse he had of Marinette as she stood outside of the door.  For the split second that she was half hidden in the dusk and half illuminated by the shop’s lights, she had looked like...

“Ladybug,” he whispered.  His feet finally moved, but they were moving toward the shop.  His mind was racing now.  His eyes had caught on the glimpse of her hairstyle, the flash of her blue eyes, and the sparkle of her earrings.  She had looked like Ladybug.

He knew Marinette was a fan of the superheroine and tried to remind himself that she was just following the latest trend in Ladybug fashion.

But his feet wouldn’t stop.

He found himself crouched below Master Fu’s window.  It was cracked open slightly, to allow the warm night air in.  He could hear them talking inside; Master Fu was complimenting her on her macarons.

“Oh, they’re delicious, Master!” Came a bright, cheerful voice.

Adrien only had time to wonder who the voice belonged to before Plagg raced out of his shirt  He barely managed to wrap his hands around the small kwami, preventing the black cat-like creature from flying into view.

“Tikki!”  Plagg squeaked, his voice muffled by Adrien’s finger.  “Let me go, Adrien.  It’s Tikki!”

Adrien’s eyes were huge in surprise and he hesitantly let Plagg go in his shock.  To his relief, Plagg didn’t fly through the open window, but instead quietly peaked over the sill and sighed.

“Oh, Tikki, my love!”  He whined quietly.  “How I miss you.”

“Plagg,” Adrien said, his voice shaky.  His temporarily mobile feet were now rock hard cement again as he stared in shock.  “Are you telling me that Tikki…”

“Yes.”

“That the Ladybug kwami…”

“Yes.”

“That Ladybug’s kwami…”

“Yesss!”

“That Ladybug... that Marinette, is in there?”

Plagg placed a paw on either side of Adrien’s mouth and squeezed, nodding the teenager’s head violently.  “Yes, lover boy!  Yes!  I can’t say any more. I _can’t,”_ shake, “ _say,” shake, “it_ ,” shake, ”but yes!” Followed by a very violent nod, before he let go and hovered back by the window.

“She’s Ladybug?” Adrien asked quietly.  “This entire time, she was Ladybug.  Marinette is Ladybug.  Ladybug is Marinette.  They’re the same person.”

“Adrien,” Plagg said in a harsh whisper.  “Quiet, kid!  I think she’s leaving.  We need to go!”

Adrien’s feet were still rooted to the spot, but his head turned slightly to look at the black kwami.  “Leave?” he asked. “I can’t talk to her?”

“Not now, Kid!” Plagg said in frustration.  “You’re not ready.  You’re in shock.  C’mon!”  He was pulling at Adrien’s ring hand now. “Let’s go home and we can figure out what to do from there.  Come. On!”

Of his own accord, Plagg flew into the miraculous ring and Adrien transformed into his alter ego.  Plagg’s excitement seemed to overflow into Adrien and he was finally able to move his feet.  He leapt toward the nearest stoop, a window overhang, and then the roof of the nearest building.  Finally he ran across the rooftops, a wild, manic grin on his face.

No longer was he depressed and sagging under the weight of his own hopelessness.  Now, he was light on his feet with a bounce in his step.

He had found his Lady.

He had found his love.

They would be together in the end.

* * *

 

The rest of the night was spent excitedly discussing their accidental discovery.  Plagg and Adrien decided to fully embrace their knowledge of Ladybug’s identity. 

To hell with secrecy. 

Adrien had decided that at the soonest opportunity, he was going to visit Marinette on her balcony as Chat Noir and confess his identity while revealing that he knew hers.  He could easily visualize it in his mind’s eye.

She would forget all about Luka and would fall into his arms.  They’d share a passionate kiss only to be interrupted by words of love.  They’re souls would mesh and entwine, never to be separated.

Unfortunately for Adrien’s master plan, his studies, modeling, and extracurricular activities seemed to have other ideas.

His father had suddenly taken ill.  Despite his acute resentment toward Gabriel, Adrien still worried about his father.  In the aftermath of the Style Queen attack, his father had begun to dedicate every evening to his son over dinner.  The older man’s sudden presence at the long dining room table wasn’t hard to miss and the awkward, forced conversation was even harder to ignore, although Adrien appreciated the effort.

They were beginning to form some semblance of a relationship when, just as suddenly as he had appeared, Gabriel claimed to be suffering from a cold and refused to leave his room.  As a result, Adrien was asked to sit in for his father at the daily Gabriel Fashion board meetings, which cut into his morning classes.

It had been nearly a week since he discovered who the girl beneath the mask was.

A week of photoshoots and commercials.

A week of board meetings.

A week of classes, tests, and assignments; Marinette’s close proximity not unnoticed or unfelt.

A week of overheard conversations about Marinette’s latest texts and dates with Luka.

A week of Plagg begging to see Tikki.

But tonight was the night.  After a long Saturday involving an early morning photoshoot on the Seine, hours long commercial filming at the Louvre, another father-less dinner at the empty table, and a virtual study session with Nino over video chat, he excitedly transformed into his leather-clad alter-ego and vaulted through the air, hopping from rooftop to rooftop easily. 

This wasn’t the first time he had visited Marinette’s balcony since discovering she was Paris’ spotted saviour.  He had transformed and gone to the small garden-like enclosure every night for the last week.  Despite his strong desire to rap gently on her balcony trapdoor, he would instead sit and listen to the quiet music or soft conversations that drifted through her open window.

Tonight was different, however.  As he reached the rooftop opposite of her house, he immediately noticed her usually illuminated room was dark and lifeless.  He contemplated vaulting to her balcony, but spun around in curiosity when laughter reached his ears.

He lowered himself onto his stomach to easily peer down into the street below.  Marinette was just arriving home, arm in arm with Luka.  Chat Noir’s eyes narrowed in jealousy.  It should be his elbow she was attached to, not Luka’s.  He closed his eyes and steadied his rapid breathing.

 _‘It’s okay,’_ he told himself. _‘She’s Ladybug.  We’re meant to be together.  She’ll change her mind when I tell her everything.’_

He opened his eyes again, a smug smile playing on his lips, as he concentrated his miraculously heightened hearing on their conversation.

* * *

 

“I still can’t get over that concert!” Marinette was saying. “I can’t believe you knew someone who got us up on stage!”

“I know, ma choupinette! That concert was amazing!” Luka laughed and Adrien rolled his eyes at the stupid pet name. “I’m happy I could surprise you.”

“I know,” Marinette whined playfully. “But if I had known before hand I could have worn something more...” she paused, looking down at herself self-consciously, “I don’t know… stage worthy.”

Luka studied Marinette as they approached her front door.  Chat’s skin shivered in jealous revulsion as Luka’s eyes roved Marinette’s body head to toe before gazing into her eyes.

“I think you look worthy to be on any stage,” Luka whispered as he pulled her close.

Even from the roof, Chat could see Marinette’s cheeks tinge pink and could hear the shortness of her breath.

“Luka, I…” she began, but the older boy cut her off as he pressed his lips to hers, leaving not a single gap between their bodies as he deepened the kiss.

Chat Noir cringed and slid away from the roof’s edge, hiding the couple from his view.  Hot tears stung his eyes and he rested his forehead against his crossed arms.  He took several deep breaths to calm his rising jealousy, anger, and resentment.  He cursed his miraculously attuned hearing as the sounds of romance from the young lovers below reached his ears.

 _'It should be me,’_ he thought miserably, as more tears stung his eyes.  He watched bleakly as his tears splashed onto the roof tiles before burying his face deeper into his arms. _‘It isn’t fair. I just found out about her. What we could have. It isn’t fair.’_

Several long moments passed before whispered good-byes and the soft closing of a door reached his ears.  Chat Noir carefully crawled forward on his stomach and peered down to the street below.  He watched as Marinette’s bedroom lights flickered to life.  The faint glow illuminated Luka, who still stood outside the bakery, his face turned upward with a large smile playing on his lips. 

Chat watched the older boy for several excruciatingly long minutes, his jealousy growing the longer he waited for him to leave.  Finally, perhaps because Marinette didn’t reappear at her window or perhaps, as Chat angrily thought, he realized how dumb he looked, Luka finally walked away from the tall home and down the dark, lamp-lit street.

Without another moment’s hesitation, Chat Noir vaulted across the street and landed silently onto Marinette’s rooftop balcony.  His jealousy and protectiveness was driven by his strong belief that he and Marinette were drawn together by fate.  She was his Lady and he was her Chaton.  For millennia the ladybug and black cat miraculous users had been entwined and fated together, so of course they would be too.  Luka aside, Marinette was his.

Chat took a deep breath and tried to slow his swirling thoughts and feelings.  As he raised his fist and lightly rapped on her trapdoor, he convinced himself that he would reveal his identity and his knowledge of hers. 

But as the trapdoor opened slowly and his green eyes met her astonished blue ones, all of his bravado escaped in a single, lame stutter, “H-hi.”

“Chat Noir?” She asked in confusion as she climbed up the ladder and onto the small balcony.  She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around.  Chat noticed she was wearing thin pajamas and immediately felt terrible for bringing her out into the cold. “What are you doing here?” she continued.

The blond hero laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head. “Well, I uh,” he began lamely.  He knew what he wanted to say.  He knew what he wanted to confess.  But the words got lost in his throat the longer he stood before her, her goosebump covered arms crossed tightly over her chest.  The longer he stared at her the worse he felt about pulling her outside and the more he wanted to just spit it out.  But the more he wanted to just yell to the universe that he loved her, the harder and harder it was to get the right words out.

And that’s when he saw it.  He saw the thumb-sized blemish on her neck, just above her collar bone, and his insides turned to jelly.  It should have been his lips that made that mark.  She was his. 

“Chat Noir?” She asked again, some concern in her voice.  “Are you okay?”

He jumped out of his reverie and locked his eyes with hers. “Do you love him?” He asked suddenly and he saw her jump and step back a little in surprise.

“Love who?” she asked, but the confusion in her eyes quickly turned to suspicion.  “Were you _watching_ us?”

Chat shook his head dismissively.  “I was passing by and happened to see you two.”

“Passing by,” she replied dubiously, one of her eyebrows arched.

“You and Luka,” he continued, trying to ignore the sour tone in her voice. “Are you two together?”

Marinette crossed her arms even tighter and rolled her eyes, despite a small smile spreading across her face.  “Not like it’s any of your business, Chat Noir, but yes.  Luka is my boyfriend.”

It was like a punch to the gut.

“But I thought,” Chat said quietly, annoyed that he could hear is own desperation seeping through.

Marinette looked at the tall super hero again, curiosity alighted in her eyes. “Thought what?”

Chat gazed at her.  Searching her.  She didn’t know who he was.  She didn’t know how much he knew about her.  How brave and cunning she was as Ladybug or how creative and funny she was as Marinette and that he loved both of them.  He loved her.  She didn’t know.  She had rejected him.  After everything they’d been through together as Ladybug and Chat Noir, she had rejected him.

But she loved Luka.

Would knowing who he was really make a difference?  If she couldn’t love Chat Noir, how could she love Adrien?

She loved Luka.

If she knew that he knew she was Marinette.  That he was in love with both Marinette and Ladybug.  Would she love him then?

She fell in love with Luka.

 _“I am most impressed in the maturity you have displayed in your concern for the two young women’s feelings and not just your own.”_ Master Fu’s words drifted from the recesses of his mind.

Marinette was Ladybug and she chose Luka. 

Gazing at the raven haired girl now, Chat could see the glow in her eyes, the rosieness of her cheeks, and the ever present smile on her lips.  He had seen that same look over the last several weeks and he knew, as much as it pained him, it was because of Luka.  Luka made Marinette happy.

Chat took a deep breath, hating that he was a walking cliche.  All he wanted was for Marinette to be happy.

Tears pricked at his eyes again and he stood up straight, rolling his shoulders back, and fought to look like his normal, debonair self.  “Never mind, Purrr-incess.  It’s nothing.”

She tilted her head to the side and punctuated her _tsk_ s with her finger. “Really, Chat Noir?”  His bravado was clearly not fooling her. “You obviously came here to tell me something, so out with it.”

“Don’t be silly, M’la-rinette!” Chat leaned on his staff like a tap-dancer on a cane, hoping she didn’t catch his near slip. “I just happened to be passing by and saw you two love birds.”

“Mmhmm,” Marinette hummed suspiciously.

Chat laughed and shrugged, “I saw your light on and thought I’d stop by and do some snooping,” he added a wink and a finger-gun in her direction.

“Snooping?”

“Look,” he said, trying to keep his true emotions at bay, “I’ve heard Luka’s a good guy, but isn’t he a little old for you?”

Marinette moaned and rolled her eyes. “Not you too.”  She pointed a finger into Chat’s chest. “Look, I’ve heard enough from my parents, I don’t need to hear it from you too.  Besides it’s none of your business.”

“N-no,” he stuttered, his composure shaken by her abrupt change in attitude. “Of course not…”

“He’s only two years older,” she continued lifting her hands into the air, palms up.  “And I’m happy! Doesn’t that matter?”

Chat nodded and placed his hands on her shoulders in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. “Yes, Marinette, your happiness does matter.”

“Thank you.”

Chat placed his arm lightly around Marinette’s shoulders in an attempt to keep her warm and to comfort her, although he admitted to himself it was partly to feel her close to him one last time before he pushed his feelings out of his heart. 

He directed her toward the railing where they leaned together platonically, gazing at the stars.  “I think,” he said, “that as long as someone takes care of you and makes your happiness their number one priority and that you feel the same way toward them, well, that’s what matters most.”

Marinette hummed in response, nodding her head in agreement. 

The two were silent for several long minutes again.  The blond youth fought to keep his breathing even as he struggled to dismiss his amorous feelings.

Finally, Marinette asked, “Do you have a girlfriend, Chat Noir?”

Chat smiled and gazed down at her smooth, black hair.  “I thought I might,” he said quietly, “But I don’t think it’s going to work out.”

* * *

 

After he wished Marinette good night, Adrien detransformed and strolled slowly along the Seine well into the early hours of the morning, Plagg resting softly on his shoulder.  Cafes  were just beginning to open and Adrien quickly took the opportunity to buy himself a large cafe au lait and a cheese danish for Plagg.

They didn’t talk while he walked, but simply took solace in each other’s company as they lost themselves in thoughts of their beloveds.

Plagg had quickly reassured Adrien, just after the black cat persona had melted away revealing the kwami, that Luka was simply a bad-boy phase for Marinette and that it would pass.  When it did, he and Plagg could swoop in once and for all.

As much as Adrien wanted to agree, he argued with himself that Plagg hadn’t seen how happy Marinette looked.  She was practically glowing.  Plus, he hated to admit it, but despite Luka’s alternative appearance, he wasn’t a bad-boy at all.  He was an upstanding young man and although it was common knowledge that Luka didn’t take school seriously, his amazing guitar skills would definitely carry him into a great musical career.

What did Adrien have?  Modeling?  His father’s business?

He didn’t have any hobbies like Luka.

Sure, he could play the piano, but that was because of his father.

Of course modeling in high fashion would ensure he would be financially stable, but the life of a career model was short.  Models were frequently fired or overlooked for younger and fresher looks.

He could run his father’s business and while he knew he’d be good at it and his father had prepared him for it, he had no enjoyment in it.  He’d be miserable.

He was miserable. 

The only thing that made him happy was running from rooftop to rooftop next to Ladybug.  He took pleasure in the Parisian air whistling through his hair as the ground, river, parks, and buildings blurred together underneath their swift feet.  That was something Luka would never be able to have.

Only he, Adrien, could have Ladybug.

And he relished in it.

Plagg was right.  Some day he could have the life he dreamed of with both Marinette and Ladybug.  But for now, simply seeing her happy and safe was all he needed.  He could watch Marinette from a distance while luxuriating in Ladybug’s presence as only he could, as Chat Noir.

_Bzzt bzzt bzzt_

Adrien was snapped out of his sleep deprived reverie as his phone began vibrating incessantly in his pocket. 

 _‘Oh great,’_ Adrien thought with a grimace as he looked at Nathalie’s illuminated name.  How was he going to explain his late night, or rather early morning, venture?

“Hi, Nathalie,” Adrien said quickly, “I was just out for a morning run. You know, keeping up my exerc-”

“Adrien!” Nathalie sounded uncharacteristically shrill. “You need to come home this instant!”

He held the phone away from his face in surprise.  Partially to relieve his aching eardrum, but to also double check the number of the caller.  It was definitely Nathalie’s phone number.

He held the phone back up to his ear in time to hear his name in the speaker.  “Yes, I’m here,” he said.  “Nathalie, what’s going on?”

“You need to come home right away, Adrien!” She said again, her voice slightly more controlled. “Your mother has been found.  She’s been in a coma.  Your father... “ she broke off with what sounded like a small sob. “Just get here.”

_Click_

Adrien didn’t hesitate.  He had already begun sprinting towards his home, one hand clutching his phone the other holding Plagg close to his body, before Nathalie had finished speaking.

They found his mother.

She was alive.

They found his mother?

All of his angst and confusion and romantic struggles felt so insignificant and immature to Adrien as he raced through the streets of Paris.  He’d grown complacent in his mother’s disappearance.  As the years had passed the more he accepted that she had moved on from him and his emotionally distant father.  She had found something better.

In a coma?

Why hadn’t he fought harder to find her? 

She hadn’t moved on, but he had.

She had been lying unconscious who knows where, while he traipsed about Paris in a skin-tight suit and wondered whether or not his crush liked him.

He was disgusted in himself.

Adrien ran at full speed around a corner and past a crowded newspaper stand when he a familiar sight caught his eye.  He stopped on a dime and wheeled around to the small television screen that sat on the corner of the newspaper stall.  Several other people peered at the small screen and whispered angrily to each other.

There, standing on the familiar steps of his house, was his father.  The volume, although turned up as far as it could go, was still hard to hear over the murmurs of the crowd.  Below his father’s image, a red ticker tape scrolled along the bottom of the screen.

It read:

_GABRIEL AGRESTE IS HAWKMOTH_

_HAWKMOTH FINALLY CAUGHT_

_AGRESTE TURNS HIMSELF IN_

Adrien’s tired eyes flicked back up to his father as he registered what his father was saying. 

“I deeply regret everything I have done,” Gabriel said, his voice uncharacteristically quavering with emotion. “Several years ago, I lost my wife.  I have spent the last several years, imbued by the power of the butterfly miraculous, searching for a way to bring her back.  However, now that she has been found, I-” his voice shook again as he looked down at his feet.  The crowd was tense as they waited for him to continue.

“Style Queen’s merciless attack on Paris opened my eyes to the monster I had become.  I have only myself to blame for placing not only my city in danger, but my one and only son.  I was blinded by love and desperation, but now that my wife has been found, my eyes have been opened to what I’ve done.

“I’ve hurt the people of Paris over the last three years.  While I know that none of my Akumas ever killed anyone, I do acknowledge that the trauma following akumatization and subsequent attacks have caused the Parisian mental health rate to deteriorate, drug use to skyrocket, and the suicide rate to rise exponentially.

“Because of my attacks, thousands of Parisians have suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or other form of depression.  I know that nothing I can say or do will ever make up for the hurt and betrayal I’ve caused.  Because of this, I will be creating the Butterfly Effect Program.  A free program for any and all persons affected by these attacks who seek rehabilitation or counseling.  Funds for the Butterfly Effect Program will also go toward PTSD research. A large sum of my fortune has already been set in place for this Program to begin upon my arrest and forthcoming imprisonment.”

Finally, Gabriel looked up from the crowd and stared directly into the camera.  Directly into Adrien’s eyes.

“Son.  Adrien.  If you’re watching this.  Go to your mother.”

The whispering of the surrounding crowd grew louder as the News anchor reappeared on screen.  The crowd undulated around Adrien and he felt claustrophobic.  His instincts told him to transform.  To escape the crowd.  To get to the rooftops.  But he bit his lip and fought through the crowd to fresh air.

As he escaped the crowd he felt a small pressure in his rib cage.  Plagg had heard everything, Adrien knew.

“Thanks, buddy,” Adrien whispered to his friend as he began sprinting along the streets again. “Hold on tight.”

The run home was fast, but his legs felt like jelly and he had a cramp in his side.  As he slowed his pace he felt hot tears running down his cheeks and quickly wiped them away.

When he rounded the corner of his house, past the sidewalk where he had happily escaped his confines only the night before, he saw news trucks packing up their equipment and several police squad cars barricading the road.

Adrien tried to ignore his sore feet and painful rib cage as he jogged up to his home.  As he approached the largest police truck, he saw his father’s silver head disappear into the backseat, his arms cuffed behind him painfully.

“Father!” he yelled, pushing the police out of the way. “What’s going on?”

Gabriel jumped, startled by his son’s voice, and stared sadly at his son from the backseat window.  “I’m sorry, son.”  He said quietly.  Then with renewed urgency in his voice, he leaned closer to Adrien.

Adrien noticed that the police were beginning to start their cars and the truck was moments from leaving.  From separating him from his father.  From the one person who held all the answers.  He placed his hands on the truck as if to keep it from leaving and he felt his father’s breath on his fingertips before the window rolled up.

“Go to your mother!” Gabriel yelled through the thick glass.  “Nathalie will take you.  She has the miraculouses!”

The truck began to roll away as another police officer pulled Adrien away from the truck.  “What’s going on?” he yelled again, but it was too late.  He watched the truck disappear around the corner and felt the grip on his arm loosen.

From behind him he heard a grunt.  Adrien felt like he was in a whirlpool, his attention and thoughts being pulled in several different directions.  He turned toward the grunt in a haze, part of his thoughts still following the truck that took away his father.  Took away Hawkmoth.  Took away his enemy.

The grunt had come from Gorilla, who was holding the door to the limo open.

“To hospital,” he grunted. “Nathalie gone.”

Adrien nodded numbly as he climbed in.  “Y-yeah,” he mumbled.  That’s right, his mother was found.  He was on his way to see her.  His mother was alive.

_“Miraculouses…”_

_‘Miraculouses?’_ Adrien thought, his mind replaying his father’s words over and over. _‘He had multiple miraculouses?’_ Then another thought hit him, strong in the gut, making him heave all over the floor of the limo. _‘My father was Hawkmoth? My father was Hawkmoth? My father was Hawkmoth!’_

“MY FATHER WAS HAWKMO-AUGH-” he threw up again.  And again.  And again.

His father had been actively trying to kill him.  Had been actively trying to kill Ladybug.  He and Ladybug had been actively trying to stop Hawkmoth, through any means necessary.  Would they have resorted to murder?

Did Ladybug know?  Had Marinette seen the news yet?  His whole school would know.

He threw up again.

He was a freak.

His father was a homicidal maniac and his mom had been lost for years only to suddenly reappear in a coma.

He could never go back to school.

He never wanted to go back to school.

Adrien retched over and over, but his stomach was long empty.  Only bile spilled onto the carpet of the limo.  He felt the car rock to a stop and felt the life-giving gust of cool air hit his face and neck as Gorilla opened the back door.  He heard another grunt from the bodyguard and then felt himself being lifted out of the car and set on the ground.

“S-sorry about the-”

Adrien was interrupted by the strongest, most awkward hug of his life by his usually stoic guard.

“Go see mom,” Gorilla grunted, handing Adrien a napkin.

* * *

 

Adrien walked on shaky feet into the hospital and up the elevator.  The receptionist had been pleasant, but it was obvious she had seen the news based on her obvious stutter over his surname, “A-agre-este?” before releasing the number to his mother’s private room.

The elevator vibrated noiselessly as he rose to the highest floor.  This was the first moment of quiet since seeing the news of his father’s confession and surrender.  Adrien felt outside of himself.  Nothing seemed real.  He had experienced such an intense emotional rollercoaster over the last twenty four hours that he felt as if he lost his physical connection with himself and his consciousness.  The only thing that kept him tethered to his new reality was the familiar pressure of Plagg against his rib cage.  He could feel his friend’s soothing paws press into his side as they stood together in the small space.

Adrien’s mind was a whirlwind as it processed everything from the last day in a series reminiscent of an old fashioned movie reel. 

The hours of business deals, photoshoots, and commercials.  Drawn out by his strong desire to see Marinette and confess his feelings.

He and Plagg rejoicing over the discovery that they could finally be with their beloveds.

Luka and Marinette kissing.

Marinette’s subtle rejection.

Chat Noir’s disappointment.

Adrien’s resolve to protect Marinette from afar while relishing in Ladybug’s presence.

And then his father.  And his mother.

He had lost his father, just as the two were perhaps on the way to mending their relationship. 

He had regained his mother, who had been lost to him for years.

_Diinng_

The elevator shuddered slightly to a stop and the doors opened.  He took a deep breath.  He was on his way to see his mother.

 _‘Nothing else matters, now,’_ he thought as we walked down the brightly lit corridor, keeping a close eye on the room numbers as he passed.

He was thankful that his mom was given a private room.  Based on the receptionist’s reaction, he knew it was only a matter of time before reporters began showing up.  He reached her room at the end of the hall and was relieved to see that two security guards were stationed outside.  Only the naive would think hospital patients would be safe.  Especially a patient who was directly tied to Gabriel Agreste.  Adrien knew he should expect small angry mobs of Gabriel’s victims to begin forming in the following days.

 _‘Nothing else matters, now,’_ he thought again as he was led into the room by one of the burly security guards.

The room resonated with low beeps and hums from the various machines.  The large suite was bright with the day’s sunshine and Adrien’s eyes immediately fell on the petite figure of his mother, sitting up in bed.  The sunlight created a halo of warmth around her lithe body.

His smile was so big and his emotions so fresh that his cheeks burned with heat as he raced to his mom’s side.

“Hi, mom,” he squeeked, fresh tears threatening to spill out.  He felt like a child again.

“Hi, baby,” Emilie said softly, enveloping Adrien in her arms and against her chest so that mother and son’s heartbeats reunited as one.

* * *

 

**To be continued…**

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Endnote*  
> Well! That was it! Technically the last chapter! All that’s left is an epilogue.
> 
> I do have plans for a sequel when Marinette and Adrien are adults. That fic will be much more adult oriented with more romance, drama, and crime fighting.
> 
> I plan to get the Epilogue up soon so I don’t keep you guys waiting! Plus, the sooner that’s up the sooner I can start work on the sequel, C’est La Vie!
> 
> Next up:  
> The Epilogue
> 
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